Why The Old Charges Collection For Research?

Our project aims to gather, transcribe, and analyse the Old Charges with rigor, particularly to determine their period of composition and thus establish a reliable chronology of these texts. This project, entirely volunteer-based, is driven by the desire to make a previously confidential field of research accessible to a wider audience.

Precision and Accuracy

Each transcription must be as faithful as possible to the original text. Identified errors or inconsistencies should be corrected transparently, with clear explanations based on solid source analyses.

Verification and Correction

Verification of transcriptions is crucial to ensure the reliability of the work. We encourage all visitors to submit their corrections and analyses of the Old Charges, supporting each proposal with credible evidence (references, comparisons with other historical texts, etc.).

All proposed corrections must be validated by the research community before being incorporated into the final corpus. The aim is to maintain the highest possible accuracy while fostering ongoing intellectual dialogue.

Right to Contribute

We firmly believe that research should be accessible to everyone. Therefore, any researcher, whether amateur or professional, is welcome to contribute to the project by submitting transcriptions, corrections, or analyses.

However, contributions must adhere to academic standards of rigor and honesty, in line with the discipline’s scientific norms. The project is open to collaboration, but all proposals must be evaluated objectively and critically.

Open Collaboration

The success of our work relies on open and respectful collaboration among researchers worldwide. Contributions should be transparently published on the project platform, allowing everyone to comment and suggest improvements.

Engagement in academic debate is vital to refine analyses and ensure that the transcriptions accurately reflect the content of the Old Charges, which have often survived in a damaged state.

Intellectual Property and Attribution

The intellectual property of each analysis, transcription, or correction must be clearly attributed to its author. We respect researchers’ rights and guarantee they are acknowledged for their contributions.

However, once an analysis or correction is validated and published within the project, it becomes a communal asset, subject to continuous evaluation and improvement by the scientific community.

Confidentiality and Security

We are committed to protecting the confidentiality of ongoing research and information. Personal data of contributors will be handled securely, and unpublished work will remain the responsibility of its authors until officially validated.

The platform also ensures the security of submitted information and encourages a research environment that respects the privacy of researchers and involved institutions.

Photographs of manuscripts may be submitted, but they must be accompanied by written permission from the legal holder of the manuscript(s) to be published on the site.